Fishing for Fun is Smart!
Anyone who knows Olly and I will know that we love a bit of fun!
A piece of research that was posted by the Wall Street Journal and the iOpener Institute backs up my theory that fun is good for the soul. They shared some hard data.
Happy employees, they said:
- Stay twice as long in their jobs as their least satisfied colleagues
- Believe they are achieving their potential twice as much
- Spend 65% more time feeling energised
- Are 58% more likely to go out of the way to help their colleagues
- Identify 98% more strongly with the values of their organisation
- Are 186% more likely to recommend their organisation to a friend
We all know the research is correct. I bet you’ve seen it in the Supermarkets you shop in and the businesses that you have worked in.
Negative
Workers who have a negative approach or are in a bad mood give worse customer service than those who are having a good day. When workers are in a negative frame of mind they are distracted – or distracting! They make more mistakes and require more attention from their manager. This causes a decline in productivity.
How can we catch employee’s energy?
When we work on smart workforce projects, the culture needs to evolve to match the new ways of working. Embedded culture is tricky to change but using fun as a medium makes it easier to change behaviours and mind-sets.
People sometimes need an incentive to change but not necessarily a monetary one. Introducing fun in the workplace is about positivity – enjoying the working day.
Creating a feeling of light heartedness, laughing, smiling and sharing good humour with your staff really does help to bring an air of optimism to your operation.
The Smart Working Revolution are big believers in having fun at work! After all, many of us spend around 8 hours per day working, so it pays to enjoy it.
A couple of years ago, we were asked to transform an operation. Most of the people were Office based in this one. We would have to wait a while before we could introduce smarter locations. Our pressing concern was how miserable the atmosphere was across the operation.
So, what did we do? We applied the Fish Philosophy!
I love this. It was developed by the guys at the Baltimore Fish Market in the US. They were getting up at 4am in the morning to go to the Fish Market. They simply did not their jobs. That is, not until they started having fun. These days it’s a successful tourist spot as well as a great business. I’ve added the link to their video at the foot of this page. It’s brilliant!
Fish philosophy normally applies to customer service but we used it to improve motivation with our demotivated team. Here’s how!
Be There
The whole management team arranged desks out on the operational floor instead of being tucked away in a private office. We quickly made friends with some of the most talented workers I have ever met. Don’t sit in an office doing emails. Get out there with your people and show you care about them.
Play
We arranged fun incentives, quizzes, theme days, nights out, ideas sessions – not everyday, but often.
Make their day
The management team made a pledge that we would catch people doing something right and immediately reward them with praise. Catch their energy! Release their potential.
On Valentines Day, we distributed chocolate hearts to each individual and told them that we loved them! We bought a bell and rang it to celebrate even the simplest success. The team began to laugh. Productivity began to rise.
Choose your attitude
If one of the Top Team was having a bad day – we decided it was not the team members’ fault. We chose our ‘attitude’ when we walked through the office door…….. because attitude is contagious.
Realising the potential of a fun culture
It worked. It wasn’t the only measure we introduced but engaging the team in this way when transforming the business helped us make other changes too.
Labour turnover reduced from 8% for the month of December to 0.8% in May. Service levels settled at a 2-day resolution time and the client was happy with changes the team had made. There was an audible buzz, laughter in the office along with the unusual sound of a bell!
On my very last day a young woman stopped me in the corridor and said, “Thanks for sharing your values with us. I enjoy my job these days.” That reduced me to tears.
Employees who enjoy their work are positive employees. Their upbeat mood is “catching” too and leads to an overall positive atmosphere in your business.
Concentrating your efforts on making employees satisfied is the most direct and powerful way to impact your organisational culture and provide a positive client experience.
Could any of these ideas work with your team?
The Smart Working Revolution help businesses build smart work forces through their people. Call Ruth on 07976 509 551 for a chat about how you’d like to improve the culture and motivation of your team.
Join other like minded leaders in Brighton on 12th July for our Masterclass. Register here
Fish Philosophy Film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZKiJejNRtw
